Oh Zoe

03 | SCARED SICK

Zoe was still incoherent when she gained consciousness hours later. She could hear shouts, then whispers. There was a continuous buzzing in her left ear and her nose was itchy. Here eyes stung and her body ached, but she was there. Alive.

A pressure at her back held her confused and a warm hand was on her cheek, gently tapping. No, slapping. Hard.

"Zoe! Zoe!" Someone was shouting at her, right in her eardrum and it sent a wave of pain inside her head. "Zoe!"

Something was shoved in Zoe's mouth. "Breath! Shit! Breath Zoe!"

The pain in her chest registered in her mind and she sucked in a sharp breath, inhaling to much medicine. She coughed and splattered as she was shifted in someone's lap.

"Deep breaths Zo. Your fine. Your fine." A new hand now caressed her hair and stroked. It was Pete.

Zoe finally mastered just enough energy to pry her eyes open. She looked dazed and confused, but awake and now able to take the inhaler properly.

The inhaler was placed in her mouth again and a puff was absorbed. A wet, chesty cough sounded between each inhale of the medicine, and after countless, agonising minutes, Zoe's lungs began to function without the aid. With each new breath, Zoe's chest was receding to its normal ache.

Zoe suddenly noticed her inability to move any limbs, like she was paralysed. Everything felt numb and frail and dead and it scared her.

"Zoe." It was Leon. She now realised she was in his lap on the floor of a . . . a . . . forest?

Then the last hours of conciseness came rushing back and she remembered everything that happened. The game. The running. The tree. The blackness.

Zoe shivered as frosty wind ripped past.

"Zoe, look at me babe." Luca gripped her chin and tilted her head sideways to look him in the eye. Her head flopped in his grip, her neck muscles non-existent.

Leon had been immensely worried after finding his little sister alone in the forest, face down with shallow breaths. He had been found by Pete and had joined the seeking team, splitting off to help cover more ground. Then Luca had followed when he heard his brothers shout of distress.

"Zoe? Can you hear me? Zoe?" Zoe detected a note of anxiousness in Luca's voice but couldn't understand why.

Zoe tried to respond to his question – she was fine, honestly, just a little sore and tired – but all that came out was a jumble of groans and mumbled sounds.

Luca gazed past Zoe's head to look at Leon, who was supporting Zoe's entire weight. Her head was slumped against his chest, just under his chin and her legs were splayed out and shaking like she had no control over them.

Now that they realised it, Zoe was shaking all over, her body jolting forcefully, and somehow, they knew it wasn't from the weather.

When Zoe started to become panicked and frightened in her confused state, Leon flipped Zoe around and stood in one fluent motion.

"We need to get back to the house," Leon said gravely while readjusting a squiring child. "Mum will know what to do."

Luca nodded silently without taking his eyes off Zoe. Asthmatic attacks happened often to Zoe, but severe attacks – such as now – were rare. Or so they thought.

Leon and Luca began at a fast pace, determined to reach home before any long-term or life-threatening events occurred to Zoe. They were traveling at a brisk walk, Leon supporting a limp Zoe who was drooling on his shoulder.